Behavioural Insights Projects

In June 2016, Oxera and the Nuffield Centre for Experimental Social Sciences (CESS) published the results of an experiment testing the effectiveness of different ‘prompts’ in encouraging consumers to shop around. The study, commissioned by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), found that personalised messages were the most effective in stimulating product comparisons, while generic messaging appealing to social norms also had a significant impact.

Institution: Oxera Consulting

Team: Behavioural Economics Team

In Turkey, the years between 2012 and 2017 saw a steadily rising labor force participation rate but also unemployment. New workers, including women and youth, joined those already in the market increasing the competition for available jobs. At the same time, employers, reported difficulties finding workers with appropriate workplace competencies when filling vacancies, particularly when it came to job-related behaviors. The Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR) and the World Bank teamed up to test…

Institution: World Bank

Team: eMBeD, Mind Behaviour and Development team

Surveys give people an opportunity to be heard and provide government with vital information about the impact of its services. BETA partnered with Department of Social Services (DSS) to encourage more people to complete the Data Exchange survey. Data Exchange is new report platform developed by DSS to enable the collection of meaningful data about service delivery outcomes from organisations receiving community grants. As part of this platform, a client survey enables clients to self-report on…

Institution: Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC)

Team: Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA)

In Ireland, grants for retrofitting homes with energy upgrade measures are available from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. Improved energy efficiency of households is an important aspect of Ireland’s climate emergency related targets. Barriers to retrofitting include a lack of understanding about retrofitting and the process, and a lack of awareness of grant availability. Community based social marketing (CBSM) might be an effective way of increasing uptake because it addresses…

Institution: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)

Team: SEAI Behavioural Economics Unit

Avoiding electrical waste and promoting the manufacture of and demand for sustainable electrical products are key goals for the Federal Government. To this end, transparency for consumers is to be improved. Whether a lifespan label for electrical products can help achieve this aim was tested in an empirical study. The findings show that a lifespan label would lead to 3 out of 100 consumers opting for a more expensive product with a longer lifespan. When the lifespan was combined with information…

Team: Behavioral Sciences Team

The aim of the project was to reduce common errors that self-employed taxpayers make when they complete certain sections of tax return form 1770, such as identifying their business category and declaring assets and liabilities. Taxpayers can make both intentional and unintentional errors. Our objective was to reduce unintentional errors associated with lack of knowledge.

Institution: Other

Team: Behavioural Insights Team (BIT)

Waste management has become an issue of national concern in Bhutan; recovery and recycling are minimal, whilst landfills are overflowing. To address waste management issues, the Royal Government of Bhutan took up waste management as a flagship program under the 12th Five Year Plan which is being implemented by the National Environment Commission Secretariat (NECS), Royal Government of Bhutan. In support of the program, NECS, Thimphu Thromde (municipality) and the Gross National Happiness…

Institution: Behavioural Insights Team (BIT)

Team: Behavioural Insights Team (BIT)

In 2014, Tanzania’s regulators made the country the first in Sub-Saharan Africa to permit interest payments on mobile money wallets. Currently, annual interest rates range from seven to nine percent, four times greater than the average deposit in a US bank. Despite this, mobile savings balances remain low, especially among low-income users. In order to understand what influences the saving behaviors of low-income Tanzanians, our team, eMBeD, together with the Consultative Group to Assist…

Institution: World Bank

Team: eMBeD, Mind Behaviour and Development team

More than 480 000 people in Ile de France use an inefficient woodheating device releasing high quantities of particulate matters in the environment but do not always link air pollution and woodheating. This project aimed to inform the inhabitants about this link and encourage them to renew their ancient devices and adopt good practices around woodheating. 281 households were equiped with particulate matter sensors and the DITP compared the evolution of contamination between groups, divided in…

Institution: Direction Interministérielle de la Transformation Publique (DITP)

Team: Equipe Sciences Comportementales

Washing your hands regularly with soap and water is an effective and easy way of reducing the risk of people falling ill with COVID-19, influenzas or a cold, or contracting other viral illnesses. Stickers and posters were developed focusing on reframing, nudging and habit stacking. Displaying the posters in the office environment led to an increase in handwashing amongst employees. Soap consumption went up. Why this experiment was conducted: improved hygiene standards in the workplace is the…

Institution: Netherlands Ministry of Justice and Security; Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport; and RIVM